The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-05-31

hunureu gallons oil liquor were disposed of,
at any rate the city was charged with that
amount. Boston has seen good many ia
nous junkets, but this one out iunkets them
all.
Northere and Southern Presbyter-
ians.
The breaking out Of the civil war; In 1861,
caused great schism in tho Presbyterian
Church. The Southern Presbyterians, Of
Tended by resolution passed by their North
ern brethren at Philadelphia in 1861, in
which 1t was affirmed that citizens were un-
der the Government Of the United States,
the Government de fdctO and de .jure, and
that no member of the church should bear
arms against 1t, withdrew and formed the
General Assembly of the Presbyterian
Church in the Confederate States of Ameri-
ca. From that day until this the Northern
and Southern Presbyterians have been sepa-
rated, each having its own general Assem-
bly,. The nearest approach to anything like
united action has been the holding these as
semblies simultaneously. though not in the
same places. Last week the ASSEMBLIES met
in their usual yearly meetings, the Northern
Presbyterians at Omaha, Nebraska, the
DVubuCln At Cb. LOUIS, 1lSSOuTl several
tmes the Northern Presbyterians, in their
General Assembly, have held out the olive
branch OF peace, and endeavored to re-unite
the church. All previous efforts have failed.
Last week the Assembly at Omaha tried
again, by sending very kind and concilia-
tory address to their Southern brethren. The
receipt Of this launched upon the Southern
Assembly the question Of reunion, and pro-
yoked stormy debate which throws a very
brilliant light upon an interesting side of
Southern social and religious life. A large
element among the Southern Presbyterians
are In favor Of reunion. Drs. MARYLAND, of
Maryland, Luckett, of Texas, and Bryson, of
Alabama, led the union element in the long
and able debate. The Southern church is in
far from flourishing condition. Last year
it added but eight churches and four minis
-ters-t0 its members, while the Northern
church during the same time not only met
its own outlays, but sent more than a hun
dred and twenty-six thousand dollars south
for the support Of schools and churches for
the freedmen. Reunited, the leaders Of the
union party held, the church would be more
powerful and prosperous Besides, when
business men and politicians were shaking
hands in friendship after the bloody quarrel
1t should not be left to the church Of God
alone to perpetuate the quarrel This was the
voice of the New South. But the Old South
rallied with surprising readiness and bitter
ness. Drs. Palmer of Louisiana, Vaughan
and Preston of Virginia, and Smoot of Texas
spoke. DIR. Smoot spoke like an old-time
fire eater. The aggressive spirit OF the North,
hp enid
United States, and so the aggressive spirit of
the Northern church OVERRIDE the principles
OF true Presbyterianism. "Men ND there in
New Englend, -Wendell Phillips, Lloyd
Garrison, and others, he declared brought
"desolation and ruin to this country while
Albert Sidney Johnston was eulogized as
"the greatest man who ever walked this
earth" If the whole Southern Presbyterian
church decided to unite with the Northern
church, DIR. Smoot was confident that as for |
himself, he should remain away The de- |
bate at this point grew very interesting A |
Georgian, Col. Livingstone, replied, calling
Dr. SmoOt natural born politician in the
pulpit Of Christ" The speaker said that
DR.. Smoot had been mad ever since the Fed
crai army came into his county in Kentucky,
and made him step up every thirty days and
take the oath, and added they couldn,t
trust him more than thirty days. Ever
since that time he's had no use for anything
north of Mason and Dixon's line" With
the old bitterness of feeling came some of |
the old ideas Of slavery, and some ideas |
which now prevail in the South concerning |
the black man. DR.. Vaughan, of Virginia, |
bola3J advanced again the ancient moss |
backed doctrine that slavery was moral |
relation, not sinful one." Slavery" he |
held, like sickness and death, was a curse |
inflicted upon the fallen race, but the rela-
tions arising from it were rightful, and not
sinful" He desired to give no offense to
his Northern brethren, but he did not fear to
obey the teaching of the Holy Ghost. in the
matter Of the relation between master and
servant. For this reaaon he was unwilling
even to discuss with the Northern Church
the subject OF union, as he was unwilling to
give them the power to regulate his relations
with the cursed sons of Ham. The North
crn Church did not believe in a separate col
ored Church, but this question was not a
live issue in the North, where the few ne
groes were lost in the mass of the popula-
ton. In the South, on the contrary, the ne
groes were often in the majority and would,
II admitted to the Church. control, and right
fully control, the property Of the Church.
More than this, the union in ecclesiastical
matters would inevitably lead to union in
social matters. In assemblages of church
members the dark-colored young gentlemen
would offer themselves as escorts and associ-
ates to the fair daughters of the South and
the line Of social distinctions would soon be
broken down. So DR.. Vaughan concluded:
THE Southern church should not permit
their relations with the negroes to be settled
by Northern men, and therefore should hest
tate before forming any union" Other
speakers declared even more forcibly their
determination that the Northern churches
should be prevented from gaining any union
whereby they might be able to exert an in
fluence over the Southern churches in refer
ence to the negro question.
After such a stormy debate, unanimous
opinion could not be expected. By vote of
So to 56 it was voted that committee of in
quiry be formed to join with a committee
which the Northern Assembly has appointed,
for the purpose of making arrangements for
the Presbyterian church. When
this vote was cast, the "New South" element
could scarcely repress cheer, but the leaders
Of the "Old South" party met to prepare a
protest 1t is feared that while two-thirds
Of the body now known as the Southern
Presbyterian church, will secede and Join
The Northern Presbyterian Church, the re-
nainder, imbued with the old Southern spir-
i, will hold out until death and decay shall
have removed it.
To the Presbyterian church, the debates at
St. Louis are of the greatest interest: to
hose who are interested in other churches,
II no churches at all, the remarkable debate
s no less interesting for the light it throws
IN the social condition Of that New South"